Transcript PPC presentation

Governance of Early Care and Education
Politics and Policy in France and Sweden
Michelle J. Neuman, Ph.D.
Columbia University
EECERA Conference, Prague – 31 August, 2007
Research funding from: German Marshall Fund of the U.S., American-Scandinavian Foundation,
Council for European Studies/Florence Gould Foundation, Teachers College Office for Policy
Research, and Columbia University Public Policy Consortium.
Rationale for the Study
Why governance of ECE?
Why France and Sweden?
Why 1980-2005?
2
Three Institutional Dimensions of
ECE Governance
ECE Governance
Administrative
integration
Privatization
Decentralization
3
Case Selection
Administrative
integration
Case study country
FRANCE
Divided auspices


SWEDEN
education: 2-6 yrs
health/social: 0-3 yrs
Unified auspices

education: 0-7 yrs
Privatization
Decentralization
Medium
Education: Low
Care: High
Low
Medium
4
Research Questions
1.
How does the national context influence ECE
governance?
2.
Which actors and ideas (politics) benefit under
different institutional arrangements?
3.
What are the consequences for ECE policy outcomes
(quality, access, coherence)?
5
Conceptual Framework:
Governance of Early Care & Education
ECE Politics
2
1
National Context
ECE Governance
3
ECE Policy Outcomes
Note: Numbers refer to research questions
6
Research Design
Data collection: Fieldwork
- Archival and document research
- Semi-structured interviews
Comparative, qualitative case study analysis
 Today: Focus on decentralization findings
7
(De)centralization of ECE in France
and Sweden: Origins and Process
Conceptual Framework:
Decentralization of ECE
ECE Politics
National Context
Decentralization
ECE Policy Outcomes
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France: Limited and Incremental
Institutional Change in Ed. System
Strong Republican values include centralization
Since 19th century, preschool part of education system
Early 1980s, Socialists initiated ed. decentralization
1989 – legal right to preschool; universal coverage 3-5
Since 1990, few administrative reforms to preschools
10
France: Universal Coverage of 3-5s in
Preschools by 1990
100
90
80
70
2 years
3 years
4 years
5 years
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1960-61
1970-71
1980-81
1990-91
2001-02
Source: OECD
11
France: Decentralization and
Diversification for Infants-toddlers
Child care linked to health and social policy domains
1981 - Expansion of crèches = national priority
1986 – Decentralized child care administration
No clear legal responsibility for child care
1988 – “childhood contracts” provide incentives to
local authorities to expand and improve provision
12
France: Paradox of “Free Choice”
Since 1990s – rhetoric of “free choice”
Focus on supporting family day care and nannies
More generous long paid parental leave policies
Concern with unemployment underlies policy
Recent reforms seek to expand private provision
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France: Most Children under 3 cared for by
Parents or a Family Day Care Provider
Other individual
arrangem ents,
2%
Assistantes
Maternelles, 18%
Other, 4%
Parents, 64%
Creches, 8%
Grandparents,
4%
Drees: 2002
14
France: Geographic Disparities in Crèches
15
Sweden: “Educare” Approach
Early childhood – key part of welfare state
1970s and 80s – Expansion of local child care,
centralized funding, and regulations
1991-1994 - Non-socialist government



Rising unemployment & large budget deficits
Supported private for-profit providers
Created a “care” allowance instead of formal services
16
Sweden: Shift to Goal-Governing
1991 – Local Government Act = shift from central
rules to “goal governing” of ECE
Earmarked funds  block grants to municipalities
1995 – legal requirement for municipalities to provide
child care to 1-6 year olds with working parents
Local governments facing budget crunch responded
with higher fees and lower quality standards
17
Sweden: Recentralization?
1995 - Return of Social Democrats to government
Improved economy, less unemployment
1996-2003 – “Lifelong learning” reforms




Shift all ECE to Ministry of Education
Preschool curriculum – pedagogical steering
Universal preschool for 4 and 5 year olds
Maximum fee to rectify disparities in local fees
Targeted funding to steer decentralized system
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Sweden: Increasing Proportion of Children
Enrolled in Preschool since mid-1970s
100
90
80
70
Age 5
60
Age 4
Age 3
50
Age 2
40
Age 1
30
Age 0
20
10
03
20
02
20
01
20
00
20
99
19
98
19
97
19
96
19
95
19
94
19
90
19
85
19
80
19
19
75
0
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Comparative Analysis
Consequences for policy and politics
Consequences of Decentralization for
Access
Geographical disparities - less in Sweden than in France
Greater parent “choice”, but may not benefit children
Family day care:


increase in France
decrease in Sweden
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Sweden: More Families Choosing Preschool
Over Family Day Care, 1975–2003
400,000
350,000
300,000
250,000
Preschool
200,000
Family Day Care
150,000
100,000
50,000
19
75
19
77
19
79
19
81
19
83
19
85
19
87
19
89
19
91
19
93
19
95
19
97
19
99
20
01
20
03
0
Source: Skolverket
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France: Rising Numbers of Authorized and
Employed Family Day Care Providers
400000
350000
300000
250000
Authorizations
200000
Employed
150000
100000
50000
0
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
Source: DREES, 2003
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Consequences of Decentralization
for Quality
Deregulation = larger group sizes and child-staff ratios in Sweden
Targeted financial incentives support can quality improvement
Deregulation
20
16.7
18
16
14
14.3
14.4
1985
1990
17.5
17.2
2000
2003
13
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1980
1995
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Consequences of Decentralization
for Coherence
Some improved local coordination across ECE services
More challenging in France because of different levels
of responsibility – 2 strong sectors
Lack of coherence between individual and group child
care raises concerns about child well-being
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Implications
1.
Decentralization raises serious equity concerns
2.
Local politics and resources determine services
available to families
3.
Shifts political focus to new actors and institutions
4.
Freedom and democracy = the need for local capacity
5.
National steering & targeted funding reduce inequities
Institutional history, economic context, and ideology
play roles  France and Sweden on different paths
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